Las Vegas, Nevada Landfill Operator Fined for Leaking Asbestos and Other Contaminants into Local Lake

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In August 2008, the operator of a closed landfill near Las Vegas, Nevada has agreed to construct and operate a $36 million remedy for the site and to pay a $1 million civil fine. The landfill had had been leaking contaminants into a lake that provides drinking water to Las Vegas, Phoenix and southern California.

The landfill contains over 49 million cubic yards of asbestos, municipal solid waste, medical waste, sewage sludge, construction waste and soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis.

The landfill cover failed during a series of 1998 storms, sending waste into the Las Vegas Wash.

The remedy, which is expected to take roughly two years to build and is expected to cost over $36 million. Upon completion, the remedy is estimated to prevent the release of over 14 million pounds of contaminants annually.

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